What I Do Exactly

First of all, thank you to everyone who is reading and leaving comments. I love to sign on and see that I have so much support back home :) I'm sorry that my blog with the picture of Liam was so...all over the place. My mind was just not with it.

I realized that I never simply told everyone what I am doing here. I mean, obviously, I'm volunteering at the baby home. But I never went into detail on what my days look like and the baby home and such....

The Bulrushes: Baby Watoto is located in the heart of Kampala Uganda. It houses abandoned/orphaned/vulnerable babies (ages 0-2ish). They divide the children into 6 groups: Newborns/Premies, Monkeys, Giraffes, Zebras, Hippos and Elephants (starting with youngest to the oldest). Nicola, one of the ladies who runs the place has me traveling from each room until I have spent time (about 2 days) in each room. Once I'm finished with those "rounds" I will be permenantly placed with the group that I enjoyed the most (or second most). So far I have done the Monkeys, Giraffes and Zebras.

While at "work" my days are filled with waking, feeding, playing, changing dirty (and I mean DIRTY) diapers, bathing, wiping snotty noses and drool covered chins, and of course cuddling the babies. Basically I am here to assist the nannies. The nannies are the full-time workers here. When a child is brought into the home they are assigned a nanny; each nanny is responsible for four children. But the nannies just tell me what they need done, and I do it. It's that simple.


This is a picture of Phoebe and me. She is a giraffe; about 6 months. She is precious :)
With permission, volunteers are allowed to take a baby out for an outing. Yesterday, Jenna and I and three other volunteers took 5 babies (one for each of us) to a local park. I took Phoebe. We just sat in the grass and played for a couple of hours. It was nice to give her some one-on-one attention. (I know, my hair is atrocious but come on...it's Africa, give me a break)